The Fall of Imperialism and Communism - Essay Example

apparatuses grew big and powerful after 1914 due to the effects of World War I. Citizens of countries around the world were frightened of another bloody world war, especially in European countries where the war had raged. The financial costs and reparations of World War I partially caused the onset of the Great Slump (or the Great Depression). When the violence of WWI was combined with the Great Slump, state apparatuses grew to meet citizens’ needs. Diverse governmental practices ended, while other new governmental practices began. The fall of Imperialism led to communism in the Soviet Union. The fall of the German Empire led to the Weimar Republic. The Social Democratic Sweden government endured through this period, but it must be noted that Sweden remained neutral in WWI. The United States implemented the New Deal, which made the government more involved in American life. The common theme across the world was bigger government in an effort to help citizens. As Hobsbawm points out, the diverse bigger government might have had as many negative effects as positive ones. Around the first of the twentieth century, in Russia, Imperialism was dying. Out of the ashes of WWI, the October Revolution was born. With Tsar Nicholas busy fighting the Germans in WWI, the Revolutionaries gained enough power to topple the Tsar’s government. Hobsbawm speculates “Tsarist Russia, but for the accident of the First World War and the Bolshevik Revolution, would have evolved into a flourishing liberal-capitalist industrial society” (p. 56). WWI caused the Bolsheviks to gain power, thus forming a bigger communist government out of the former Imperialistic Russia. The Great Slump made communism even more appealing to the Russia people. Communism was based on Karl Marx’s theories. Marx believed in equality among the masses. In a Marxist society, all workers should benefit equally from combined labor. The Russians believed communism would bring equality and prosperity to all citizens at first. In turn Russians believed communism was superior to capitalism (Hobsbawm, p. 56). The problem according to Hobsbawm was state communism betrayed socialist ideals from the beginning (p. 58). Any liberal or democratic aspects of Marxism were excluded by Lenin from the start. By the time Stalin came to power, communism was twisted away from Marx’s original concept of a socialist society. If the Russians had known the direction communism was taking, history might be different. As it stands, a strong government presence in everyday Soviet life was overwhelming, from the secret police to the gulags. The Soviet government ruled its citizens with a bigger influence than Tsarist Russia. Nazi Germany was formed by the influences of WWI and the Great Slump. Adolf Hitler and many Germans struggled under the burden and shame of the Versailles Treaty in 1919. The restitution forced upon Germany made the Great Slump unbearable. Unemployment, food shortages, and other devastating economic failure swept Germany. Many Germans feeling the economic shortages turned to Hitler for answers. Without the Great Slump caused by WWI, Germany would never have accepted the new ideas of the growing Nazi party, much less allowed them to come to power. The totalitarian government of Hitler’s Third Reich created agencies like the SS, Gestapo, and other government offices. The Third Reich’s government had total control over all German citizens during Hitler’s reign. The Nazis did help the economy in Germany. Nazi Germany eliminated unemployment between 1933 and 1938 (Hobsbawm, p. 93). Laws were made putting Jews out of business, giving pure Aryan Jobs. Hitler did not boost the economy through ethical ways. Jews were stripped of their jobs, homes, and property. When more than six million Jews and ten million Poles over the Third Reich’s history were killed and stripped of property, of course the economy of Germany would improve. There would be more money, jobs, and property to go around for the Germans with the Jews and other non-Aryans in concentration camps or dead. WWI drained American resources and men. After the war, debt was caused by people cutting back spending, but companies continuing to borrow. The Great Slump led to the New Deal. President Roosevelt introduced the New Deal. The New Deal gave citizens more help, but came with more laws and regulations. Social security, welfare, the WPA, and other programs sought to help Americans in need. This created endless paper work, tax money going to social programs, regulations to apply, and so forth. Americans received help, along with more government involvement. Sweden was transitioned into a social democratic state. This state is a revision of Marxism. Although Sweden remained neutral in both WWI and WWII, the Great Slump caused by WWI had an impact on the Swedes as well (Hobsbawm, p. 93). The average unemployment statistics there were 16-17% (Hobsbawm, p. 93). The Swedes chose to have bigger government through a social democratic state to solve their economic woes. Heavy taxation through their social democratic state was the Swedes answer. The inflow of currency funded college, health, social security, and numerous other programs, all which created bigger government involvement in the average Swede’s life. As shown above WWI caused bigger government through funding and fighting a world war. Russia, America, Sweden, and Germany all became tired of the bloodshed during WWI. This caused governments to strengthen borders and install laws protecting their citizens. Stronger governments lead to stricter laws and more government involvement. Communism grew to a point where every aspect of a Soviet’s life was regulated by the Soviet government. America’s New Deal allowed for the American government to give help, if American citizens followed specific guidelines and laws. Some new American laws like Social Security tax was placed into law and enforced for all workers. The Sweden Social Democratic State taxes and inserts itself into every Swedish citizen’s life. Big government was the direct influence of countries desiring to protect themselves from violence or economic woe. Laws in all of the regions above were created to help the area’s citizens. Hobsbawm’s ideas sharply criticize Russia, Sweden, Germany, and American laws, along with every other government. Hobsbawm is a Marxist, a pure Marxist. He believes Marxism could work under the right circumstances, but not in any past or present circumstances (p. 103). Thus his point of view comes from the Utopian ideal of a pure Marxist society. Through this ideal point every government, big or little, will seem imperfect. However, the bigger a government grows; the worse off for its citizens is Hobsbauwm’s point of view. The growth of big government in Russia, Germany, Sweden, and America after 1914 was due to WWI and the Great Slump. The need to protect from violence and economic pressures made government grow bigger and more powerful than ever. Governments got bigger with diverse governmental solutions to their problems. Work Cited Hobsbawm, Eric. The Age of Extremes: A History of the World, 1914-1991. New York: Vintage, 1996. Read More